Going back to Canada after my current stay in the U.S. is going to be brutal.

My current level of income is enough to do just a tad better than scrape by in Canada, but it allows me to live so well in the U.S. because everything is so much cheaper here.

This evening, I needed to get groceries for the week and fill the truck. Filling my truck in Canada has cost me $80 to $90. Well, I spent $95 dollars this evening and this is what I got for my money:

– dinner at Tokyo Thai (spicy tuna roll to start ($5), then their shrimp pad thai ($12). Total with tip: $21 (Much more expensive than what I normally spend on a meal in the U.S., but that’s only because I rarely get a starter, and this is still CHEAP compared to what I’d pay in Canada! I would say the tuna was worth $10 in Canada, plus another $18 for the pad thai, plus tax and tip, so about $35.)

– groceries for the week at Farm Fresh and Dollar Tree: $25 (mostly just fresh fruits, veggies, meats, and mustards as I have lots of pantry staples right now. This would be about $50 in Canada.)

– 16 gallons of gas (what I consider to be a full tank since the needle is in the red by that point): $49 (This would be about $83 in most of Canada right now.)

Total: $95 (total I would have spent in Canada: $168)

These numbers are not exaggerated. My monthly budget in the U.S. for usual household expenses is about half of that in Canada. That means I can apply the other half of the amount to debt, entertainment, and items I put off buying north of the border because they are cheaper here (which reminds me that I really need to get going on finding some new house batteries!).

I know I’m a guest in this country and that I will need to leave. But I sure wish the U.S. would grant me asylum and let me stay. Pretty please?